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Documenting the Persecution of the Bahai Community in IranSat, 17 Mar 2018 17:40:05 +0000en-UShourly1http://iranpresswatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/cropped-Final_Small-1-32x32.jpgIran Press Watchhttp://iranpresswatch.org
3232iranpresswatchhttps://feedburner.google.comOldest Member of Yaran Completes Decade-Long Imprisonmenthttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iranpresswatch/~3/pF1KvteI-og/
http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18834/oldest-member-yaran-completes-decade-long-imprisonment/#respondSat, 17 Mar 2018 17:40:05 +0000http://iranpresswatch.org/?p=18834Source: news.bahai.org BIC NEW YORK — After a decade of unjust imprisonment and harsh treatment in Iranian prisons, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, 85, completed his ten-year sentence yesterday. He is one of the seven members of the&hellip

Jamaloddin Khanjani, 2nd from left, with three other former members of the Yaran who have completed their unjust sentences—Saeid Rezaie (center), Fariba Kamalabadi (3rd from right), and Mahvash Sabet (2nd from right)

BIC NEW YORK — After a decade of unjust imprisonment and harsh treatment in Iranian prisons, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, 85, completed his ten-year sentence yesterday. He is one of the seven members of the former leadership group of the Baha’is in Iran known as the Yaran, who were jailed on false and baseless charges.

Mr. Khanjani, the oldest of the seven, is the fifth to be released this year. The Yaran was an ad-hoc group which tended to the basic spiritual and material needs of the Iranian Baha’i community. It was formed with the full knowledge and approval of Iranian authorities after formal Baha’i institutions were declared illegal in Iran in the 1980s.

“Mr. Khanjani and the other members of the Yaran should have never been put in prison to begin with,” said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations. “They not only committed no crimes, but even contributed to the betterment of their communities and their country.”

Born in 1933 in the city of Sangsar, Mr. Khanjani grew up on a dairy farm and eventually started a successful charcoal production business. He eventually established the first automated brick factory in Iran, ultimately employing several hundred people. In the early 1980s after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, he was forced to shut down that factory and abandon it, putting most of his employees out of work because of the persecution he faced as a Baha’i. The factory was later confiscated by the government.

Jamaloddin Khanjani (center) reunited with friends and family

In the 1990s, Mr. Khanjani was able to establish a mechanized farm on properties owned by his family. However, the authorities placed many restrictions on him, making it difficult to do business. These restrictions extended to his children and relatives and included refusing loans, closing their places of business, limiting their business dealings, and banning travel outside the country.

“The treatment accorded to Mr. Khanjani and other members of the Yaran throughout their lives represents the treatment suffered by the entire Baha’i community for generations,” said Ms. Dugal.

Iranian Baha’is continue to face the threat of arbitrary arrest and imprisonment, economic discrimination, and the denial of access to higher education. Economic-related persecution against them has particularly escalated in recent years resulting in what the Baha’i International Community has called, in an open letter to President Rouhani, an “economic apartheid against a segment of Iran’s population”.

]]>http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18834/oldest-member-yaran-completes-decade-long-imprisonment/feed/0http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18834/oldest-member-yaran-completes-decade-long-imprisonment/Baha’i Student Barred from Universityhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iranpresswatch/~3/-5BoeE8V0Xs/
http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18831/bahai-student-barred-university/#respondFri, 16 Mar 2018 17:49:43 +0000http://iranpresswatch.org/?p=18831Source: www.hra-news.org Translation by Iran Press Watch HRANA News Agency – Vesal Heravi, a Baha’i student in Rasht, set to start his fourth term of university, has been barred from continuing his education due to his&hellip

As reported by HRANA news agency, the human rights activists of Iran’s news agency, Vesal Heravi received only a verbal notice that his educational qualifications had not been approved and he was being expelled from University.

Mr. Heravi had been studying Psychology at the Simaye Danesh University in Rasht. In 2017, after depositing his tuition, while attempting to choose his courses for his fourth term, he found that his user code had been deactivated.

Mr. Heravi was verbally notified by the university’s president that his qualifications were not approved by the Office of Assessments. His subsequent correspondence with the Office of Assessment and his meetings with the Deputy General Managers and the Director of the Central Admission Board were unsuccessful. He was verbally notified that the Ministry of Intelligence had requested his expulsion from the university. He has to-date not received any written communications from either the University or Ministry of Intelligence.

According to Article 30 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic, all Iranian citizens have a right to pursue higher education. In addition, based on Article 23 of the Constitution, “the investigation of individuals’ beliefs is forbidden, and no one may be molested or taken to task simply for holding a certain belief.” Despite the explicit letter of the law, per the approval of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in addition to being barred from employment in government positions, Baha’is continue to be deprived of higher education solely due to their Faith.

Every year, many accounts are published of Baha’i students being barred of continuing their studies in Iran’s universities, including students on the verge of graduation.

Throughout the existence of the Iranian regime, the United Nations rapporteurs of human rights in Iran, have repeatedly lamented the persecution of the Baha’is, in particular, the deprivation of Baha’i students of the right to education, and considered it a blatant example of the Iranian government’s disregard for human rights treaties.

It is noteworthy that Baha’i citizens in Iran are deprived of freedoms related to religious beliefs. This systematic deprivation is in direct contradiction to Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), all persons have the right to religious freedom, the right to change their religion or belief, and the freedom to express their belief individually or collectively in public or private.

It should be mentioned that, based on unofficial sources, there are over 300,000 Baha’is in Iran. However, Iran’s Constitution only recognizes Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism, and does not recognize the Baha’i Faith as a religion. This has been used by the Regime to justify systematic denial of the civil rights of the Baha’is over the past years.

UN Human Rights Council – 37th Session, March 2018. Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran

GENEVA—12 March 2018

Mr. President,

The Baha’i International Community would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the life and legacy of the late Asma Jahangir. She will be remembered as a courageous human rights defender, including those of the Baha’is, and an outspoken Special Rapporteur on Iran, and previously on freedom of religion or belief. In her last report, Ms. Jahangir presented the range of violations currently facing the Baha’is—including “the closure of shops; the firebombing of homes; arbitrary arrest; torture and other ill treatment whilst in detention; and discrimination whilst studying at university”.On a related note, last month, in an open letter, 25 of the world’s prominent professors, lawyers,and judges addressed the head of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights, Mr. Mohammad Javad Larijani, asking him to acknowledge the persecution of the Baha’is and to take steps to remedy the situation. Mr. Larijani’s attention was also drawn to a website called “The Archives of the Persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran”, which compiles, for the first time, thousands of official documents, testimonials, and audio-visual materials, revealing irrefutable proof of the relentless persecution.

The primary sources housed by this website corroborate beyond a shadow of a doubt the Special Rapporteur’s latest findings. For example, the Archives include:

A letter from the Intelligence and National Security of the Province of Kerman reporting that, per instructions from the Ministry of Intelligence, businesses operated by members of the “Baha’i sect” were closed and sealed; A photo of a Baha’i-owned shop in Rafsanjan destroyed after an arson attack;

A photo of Mr. Zabihollah Mahrami, who was arbitrarily imprisoned for 10 years, during which he received death threats and was forced to perform arduous physical labour. He was ultimately discovered dead in his prison cell under suspicious circumstances; and

An internal letter from the Central Security Office of Payam-e- Nour University to a provincial president, requesting that he prevents the enrolment of Baha’i applicants.

Mr. President,

How many more interviews does a Special Rapporteur need to conduct and how much more evidence is required until the Iranian government finally decides to take this Council seriously and begin taking steps to address the grave human rights violations occurring in its country?

]]>http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18828/representative-bic-delivered-statement-situation-bahais-iran-un-human-rights-council-37th-session/feed/1http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18828/representative-bic-delivered-statement-situation-bahais-iran-un-human-rights-council-37th-session/Baha’i Couple Given 5-Year Prison Sentences for Their Faithhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iranpresswatch/~3/zScEDysawQw/
http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18823/bahai-couple-given-5-year-prison-sentences-faith/#respondSat, 10 Mar 2018 21:37:30 +0000http://iranpresswatch.org/?p=18823Source: www.bahaicamp.com Translation by Iran Press Watch As reported by the No to the Persecution and Imprisonment of Baha’i Citizens Campaign, last year on October 2, 2016, Rouhieh Nariman and Farzad Delaram, a Baha’i couple in&hellip

As reported by the No to the Persecution and Imprisonment of Baha’i Citizens Campaign, last year on October 2, 2016,Rouhieh Nariman and Farzad Delaram, a Baha’i couple in Shiraz, were detained by the intelligence agents and their home was thoroughly searched.After ten days of detainment they were temporarily released on bail, with a 330 million Touman collateral (99,000 US Dollars).

These two Baha’i citizens were tried on February 26, 2017, by Judge Sadati at Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court, on the charge of propaganda against the regime, with the notation “membership in the illegal Baha’i group” with the purpose of disrupting the national security.Judge Sadati sentenced each to a 5-year prison sentence.The verdict and sentencing information were recently delivered to the couple.

]]>http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18823/bahai-couple-given-5-year-prison-sentences-faith/feed/0http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18823/bahai-couple-given-5-year-prison-sentences-faith/Bahá’í Citizen Arrested in Ahvazhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iranpresswatch/~3/0rxXdV8VXvw/
http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18818/bahai-citizen-arrested-ahvaz/#respondThu, 08 Mar 2018 18:27:37 +0000http://iranpresswatch.org/?p=18818Source: www.hra-news.org Translation by Iran Press Watch HRANA News Agency – Mitra Badrnejad Zohdi, a Bahá’í citizen residing in the city of Ahvaz, had her home searched and was arrested by the Agents of the Ministry&hellip

HRANA News Agency – Mitra Badrnejad Zohdi, a Bahá’í citizen residing in the city of Ahvaz, had her home searched and was arrested by the Agents of the Ministry of Intelligence and transferred to an unknown location.

Based on a report by HRANA News Agency, the news arm of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, a Bahá’í citizen residing in Ahvaz, named “Mitra Badrnejad Zohdi” was arrested and transferred to an unknown location, on 3 March 2018.

Agents of the Ministry of Intelligence did a complete search of Mrs. Badrnejad’s home at the time of her arrest, confiscating personal items including her laptop computer and books. The Agents informed Mrs. Badrnejad that her arrest warrant had been issued by the Revolutionary Court of Ahvaz.

No information about the charges or circumstances of this Bahá’í citizen has been available since her arrest.

Bahá’í citizens in Iran are routinely deprived of civil rights due to their religious beliefs.This systematic deprivation occurs despite Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which states everyone shall have the right to enjoy religious freedom and conversion of his religion or belief, as well as freedom to manifest his religion in practice, either individually or in community with others and in public or private.

According to unofficial sources, there are more than three-hundred thousand Bahá’ís in Iran.However, Iran’s Constitution, only recognizes Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism as official religions, and does not recognize the religion of Bahá’ís.This stance is used by the regime to continuously and systematically violate the rights of Baha’i citizens in the years since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

]]>http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18818/bahai-citizen-arrested-ahvaz/feed/0http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18818/bahai-citizen-arrested-ahvaz/Memories of the Baha’is of Iran, A Tear-Filled Tale: A Conversation With Mehraeen Mavaddathttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iranpresswatch/~3/ZnVkDEHL3sA/
http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18799/memories-of-the-bahais-of-iran-a-tear-filled-tale-a-conversation-with-mehraeen-mavaddat/#commentsFri, 02 Mar 2018 18:21:08 +0000http://iranpresswatch.org/?p=18799By Nasrin Almasi Source: shahrvand.com Translation by Iran Press Watch I have been following the issues related to my Baha’i compatriots for years, and consider myself more or less aware of the magnitude of the&hellip

I have been following the issues related to my Baha’i compatriots for years, and consider myself more or less aware of the magnitude of the systematic persecutions meted out against this community by the fundamentalist authorities and the fanatics in Iran. And yet, Mehraeen Mavaddat’s memoir, Flame of Tests, is shocking.The reason is clear: the book is based on real memories of real people; memories that immerse us in shame. While reading this book, the question repeatedly came to my mind—is it possible that in the 21st century (not the Stone Age or the Middle Ages) a group in the guise of humanity, motivated by ignorance and prejudice, could commit such acts –no less in the name of us Iranians?

I sat down with Mrs. Mehraeen Mottahedin (Mavaddat) to discuss her book, Flame of Tests: The Story of Farhang Mavaddat. She was born to a Baha’i family. On her mother’s side, she was the fifth generation descendent of Agha Jan, the first Baha’i of Jewish background in Hamadan, a city which was a center of the Iranian Jewish community. On meeting and marrying her husband Farhang Mavaddat, she sweetly recalls:

I was not planning to get married. I was a studious girl and my parents also wanted me to continue my studies, but when I was in the 11th grade, Farhang, through one of our neighbors, asked for my hand in marriage. My mother became enamored of Farhang’s character and before I knew it, arrangements were made for the marriage. Farhang was a chemical engineer, and at the time worked at the sugar factory in Rezaieh. Once the marriage was arranged, he returned to Rezaieh and during this time we became further acquainted through correspondence. When, in the summer, he came back for the wedding, my mother suggested we should get to know each other better before marrying. Honestly, until then, if I saw him on the street, I wouldn’t recognize him – because I was a shy girl and even when he came to ask for my hand, I didn’t get a good look at him!

We were supposed to get married in Mordad 1332 (August 1953). At that time, there were demonstrations in the streets. I guess, my whole life was meant to be filled with turmoil and revolution. This was right in the middle of all the unrests, the coup and the martial law. Never having been involved in politics, we were terrified of what would happen. As I never liked extravagance, I made myself a simple wedding dress and we were supposed to get married on the 29th of Mordad (20th of August). Due to the martial law, we were not permitted to get married in a public hall. So, the next day, we were married in a very small private ceremony, before the hour of curfew, and a week later, together with my husband, whom I was supposed to get to know later, left for Rezaieh. Imagine my anxiety, a 16 or 17-year-old girl, living in a strange city, where she doesn’t know the language and has no friends, classmates or family around. I had gone from the comfort of my father’s luxury home to a simple and modest life in a remote place. It difficult to adapt myself to the new conditions but I was committed to my marriage and family. Since the sugar factories were usually built outside of cities, we were far away from town and the solitude and isolation was new to me. Farhang was either working or studying. I had taken my books with me so, I got my high school diploma, and had three children one after the other. Due to Farhang’s job, we moved from town to town and factory to factory. In fact, because of Farhang’s good work ethics and expertise in his field, he was assigned to fix any factory that lacked productivity or had issues. It was really his love for knowledge, his scholarly character and his work ethics that won my heart. I have always felt that there were no engineers in Iran with more expertise and knowledge than Farhang. He was always taking college courses or studying books he would order from abroad and he had great ideas about the progress of the sugar industry in Iran. He was always thinking of ways to improve industries and mining, for the country’s progress. Being a Baha’i prevented him from being recognized and compensated for the work and energy he spent in this area. In spite of this we made a living and thrived.

You were not satisfied with just the high school diploma, correct?

Yes. After many years when our children were grown, at Farhang’s suggestion, who knew my love for studying, I took the university entrance exam. Fortunately, I was accepted the first year, and was among the top students. In the mornings, the children and I would go to school and university and return in the afternoon. Originally, I was going to take a few units so I could manage the load but I was quite determined and able to graduate in four years.

I got a job as a legal analyst and worked my way up. I loved my work environment and my coworkers; they helped me in my time of need. After the revolution, my boss was promoted to Iran’s Minister of Customs. Despite being a Muslim and a devout person, since he had studied law, he did not agree with the ways of the Islamic Republic, and said one’s religion has nothing to do with one’s profession and expertise. Due to my position and role in that office, everyone tried to prevent my case as a Baha’i from coming up, so I would not be subject to “cleansing” following the revolution.

In what year were you fired?

I was never fired. My boss eventually admitted that he could no longer protect me and suggested I take a year of unpaid leave, so I did. Of course, things got so bad I had to leave Iran.

In your book, you describe how Baha’is have long been victims of oppression and injustice, that, in fact, the Society for Propagation of Islam had devised plans to eradicate the Baha’is years ago. What kind of an organization was the Society for Propagation of Islam, and what kind of activities did it engage in?

You have surely heard the name of Hojjatieh Society, which was established by some prominent and fanatical Muslims. The Hojjatieh Society’s mission was to eradicate the Baha’is. They had plans and programs. Before the Revolution, whatever gathering or meeting we had, two or three of them would show up to harass us, interfere and disrupt the meetings. We always had to meet discretely, not to attract their attention. Some of them had falsely registered as Baha’is. As you know, we Baha’is have to choose our religion at the age 15—no one is born into the faith. So at age 15, a person will declare their belief in the Baha’i Faith. From then on the person is considered a member of community and is issued an identification card. This is how the Hojjatieh Society was able to get access to the Baha’i declaration cards and steal identities. In Karaj, a few of these people had infiltrated our community and our administration with the purpose of sabotage. During the months of Safar and Moharram, it was nothing but insults and hatred towards us. Even though my daughter was enrolled in a private school, hoping to avoid prejudice to some degree, still children in her school would tear up her books and call her a Baha’i Dog!

What is the role of assemblies in the administration of the affairs of the Baha’is? Essentially, how does the Baha’i community carry out its affairs? What hierarchy exists in your religion?

In the Baha’i Faith, we don’t have clergy or leaders. Baha’u’llah wanted to establish a spiritual civilization based on consultation and election, a form of democracy and freedom. Every Ridvan, which is on April 21, must elect nine people from among them, over the age of twenty-one, by secret ballot. These nine people will become members of the assembly and will elect a chairman and a secretary from among themselves and handle all matters by consultation. Things such as forming children’s classes, establishing feasts and gatherings, matters of marriage and divorce, burial and so on are all handled by the assemblies. In addition, the assemblies are responsible for looking after a family if they have financial needs, and all these services are provided free of charge and voluntarily (members do not enjoy any additional privileges). This body of nine is a local assembly.

Once a year, delegates from each area (based on the population) come together in a gathering and elect members to the National Assembly in all countries. At present we have 300 National Assemblies, whose responsibility it is to oversee the local assemblies. If local assemblies have problems they cannot solve, the National Assemblies take over. Furthermore, once every five years, these National Assemblies gather in Haifa, the seat of the Universal House of Justice (the international governing council of our religion). By secret ballot they elect the members of the Universal House of Justice, whose responsibilities include overseeing the National Assemblies throughout the world.

Why is the Universal House of Justice located in Israel when your prophet was born in Iran?

Firstly, the state of Israel was created much later. When our prophet (the Bab) was killed in Iran, Baha’u’llah was sent into exile. First to Iraq, then to Adrianople in Turkey, then to Istanbul, and finally to the worst spot on earth, that is Akka, which was a barren and desolate place with terrible climate. There was a saying that the air was so foul in Akka that a bird flying over it would fall from the sky and die! Baha’u’llah was exiled there during the Ottomon rule, when the state of Israel did not even exist yet. He was sent there because they believed no one could survive in that place and as such, the Baha’is would be destroyed. Baha’u’llah was a prisoner for 40 years in Akka. In fact, he passed away there, and was buried there. Afterwards, the remains of the Bab, who had been killed in Iran, were also transferred there. The Bahai World Center was built in Akka to honor our founder and prophet and for this reason, Akka is a holy place for us.

Tell us about the events in Shiraz. In what year was it and what occurred? Did similar events happen in other places as well?

It was in Mordad 1358 (August 1979). Since there were many Baha’is in Shiraz, they attacked them and burned down their homes, and those poor people had to flee on foot in the middle of the night. Many of them sought refuge in our homes, and clothing and money was collected for them. Then the House of the Bab in Shiraz was confiscated and destroyed. Obviously, this was a grave insult to us Baha’is and very painful. This was a holy place to us. Imagine if Mecca was destroyed, how would the Muslims feel? Or if the holy places of other religions were destroyed?

In the face of such events, what did the Baha’is do individually or collectively, as a group? Did they complain to the authorities? What was their response?

We weren’t silent. We filed complaints with the authorities, but they didn’t necessary care.

We were also instructed by the Universal House of Justice to contact representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran in all the countries, and ask them to be responsible and accountable for the plight of the Baha’is. We were advised to write them and ask what crime or transgression the Baha’is were being harassed and killed for, why their properties were being confiscated and their children deprived of education. Those letters were written but they fell on deaf ears. No one ever responded, and they denied such persecutions were taking place. As they say, a liar has a short memory – on the body of my husband, who was executed, his name was written on his chest. On his legs they wrote, “anti-religion.”

Do you have statistics of the abduction of Baha’is? What did the families do in those cases?

We have tried to compile the statistics on all those who were detained, abducted and killed.

At the beginning, they would detain Baha’is individually, but then they raided the assembly meeting and detained the assembly members as a group. Dr. Davoudi, who was a professor of philosophy, and much loved and very knowledgeable, and a former member of the National Spiritual Assembly, was abducted. The secretary of the Tehran Assembly, Ruhi Rowshani was abducted on his way to work and we still don’t know his whereabouts, or whether he is dead or alive. Mr. Movahed, a former clergy who had become a Baha’i, a very nice and knowledgeable young man, was abducted, and despite his pregnant wife’s many attempts to inquire of his fate, no trace of him was found.

On 31 Mordad 59 (22 August 1980), during a raid, nine members of the assembly and two counsellors were detained, which was a heavy blow to the Baha’i community.

We were advised not to stay in our homes, especially because Farhang was a member of the assembly and we were well known. And yet, the people of Karaj were so fond of Farhang for his character and accomplishments, that we did not feel threatened. Even though seven innocent Baha’is of Yazd were executed, nine members of the assembly and two counsellors were abducted; even though a large number were also in prison, we were still hoping to be able to continue to serve the Baha’i community.

What happened to the Baha’i community after the assembly members were detained? Did the community disintegrate?

No, we immediately notified everyone and nine new members were elected and the second assembly formed. They were also detained and a third assembly was elected, at which time I had already left Iran. I left at the end of Azar (November-December), and learned that the members of the third assembly were also detained. The members of the third assembly were executed two at a time. Then Mr. Khomeini announced that the Baha’i administration in Iran must disband. The members of the third assembly were executed in the month of Dey (December).

At the end of my book, I have included the last letter from the National Assembly. As you can see, despite all the atrocities suffered by the Iranian Baha’i community, the tone of the letter is very respectful, the same as all the letters and complaints written to the authorities throughout these years. I myself, during the time of Beheshti, took several letters to Beheshti and Ghodoosi. But not only was nothing done in response, when the chief of staff in Beheshti’s office asked me what my business was and I told him I was a Baha’i and my husband was in prison, he said, very aggressively, “Is he still alive? You should thank God.” And he would not allow me a meeting (with Beheshti).

Mehraeen Mavaddat

When was your husband, Mr. Farhang Mavaddat, detained?

Two of the prominent people in Karaj had been detained and they came to take Farhang as a witness. We found out later that this was just an excuse. Apparently those two dear souls had tried to alert us that we were being sought, but we did not receive the message. Anytime Farhang was told to go into hiding, or take our Baha’i books out of the house, he would say “I have done nothing wrong nor committed any crime, why should I hide? Also, I am a Baha’i and naturally there are Baha’i books in our home. Most importantly, I am responsible for this community and cannot leave. I have to help others as much as I can, and give them moral support. So, I cannot possibly go somewhere and hide. People need me and I cannot abandon them and flee.”

That was on 25 Mehr 1359 (17 October 1980). Actually, he went in to the court of his own accord, and from there he was never released and was kept in prison.

Who was Sheikh Mostafa Rahnama?

He was a clergyman. He had a very dirty and unkempt appearance; he was approximately 60 years old. Later on, I learned he was the head of the society for the protection of Palestinians, which trained terrorists. He had a strange animosity with the Baha’is, and apparently before the Revolution had inflicted a lot of harassment and harm on Baha’i villagers in the outlying villages. I did not know him at all until the first time he climbed the walls into our house. At one point Farhang had been detained and released. Farhang and I were eating dinner in the kitchen in the candlelight, since it was at the time of the Iran-Iraq war, during the blackouts. We suddenly heard a knocking on the door to the hallway. When we opened the door, Sheikh Mostafa Rahnama angrily said “why don’t you answer when we ring the bell?” I said “we don’t have power.” I think he clearly knew this and just wanted to torment us. He had a brother who was a colonel and a decent person. When Sheikh Mostafa was bothering the Baha’is, and making life difficult for them, we asked one of his relatives, Mrs. Tooba Za’erpoor, who was a teacher in Shiraz and a Baha’i, to come to Karaj and meet with Sheikh Mostafa and ask him to stop harassing us. When this woman went to his house, which happened to be a confiscated house, formerly owned by a Baha’i, he insulted her and threatened to kill her. Eventually Mrs. Za’erpoor was executed. The story goes that Sheikh Mostafa wife had told this Mrs. Za’erpoor that she hoped they kill him, that he was crazy.

Mrs. Mavaddat, who was Husayn Khodadoost, and why did Sheikh Mostafa raid his house?

You may have heard that the first bank was established by the Baha’is in the time of Abdu’l-Baha. Baha’is were advised to get their children accustomed to saving. Every Friday, as they attended children’s classes, they were instructed to buy a share for one Shahi, five Shahis, one or two Gharans. These shares were held at the bank. And each child was a shareholder. This was called the Nonahalan Company, and the children were encouraged to save their allowances. It was a beautiful and effective system. It also won an award in the time of the Shah. It was a bank operating with honesty and integrity. We Baha’is would invest our savings in this Nonahalan bank and buy shares, like in a cooperative, and if someone needed assistance he could get help, or could get a loan to buy a house. Mr. Khodadoost was on the board of directors of the Nonahalan Company. He also worked in a bank; that is, he was an expert in the banking business. Right after the Revolution, the Nonahalan Company was confiscated and anyone who had bought a house using a loan from the company had their home confiscated and loan recalled.

Mr. Khodadoost had a heart attack during this time, and was recovering at his house in Karaj. He was an honest, decent and respectable man, who was loved by us all. One night, in the usual manner of Sheikh Mostafa, the home of this elderly gentleman was raided. At the time his wife was away in Shiraz visiting her daughter who was giving birth, so he was by himself. The whole place was ransacked; he was told they were searching for weapons, the very same thing they told Farhang at our house.

Mrs. Mavaddat, what reasons were you given when being detained, when your home was raided? Tell us about your own detention.

I was given no reason. Even now they deny that they detained us for being Baha’is. Sometimes they suggest (Baha’is) are spies. So I ask, why don’t they produce any proof? In one of the nightly raids that led to Farhang’s detention, they came back to our house the following day and wanted to search the house again. They would not listen to our protests that they had thoroughly searched the place the previous night and there was nothing else. It was a new group, probably hoping to get a share of the loot while inflicting more pain and suffering. They would repeat the destruction and trampling all over again. After they loaded a few boxes of books in the car, they came back and said to me: “You are also a member of the assembly, and you should come with us.” They took us both with them, handcuffed us like criminals, and took me to the Azimieh prison. The agents avoided touching my hands, saying “You are unclean”, and they escorted me as they were holding one end of a stick and I held the other end.

For two weeks, I was repeatedly interrogated in the dirty and foul-smelling pens of the Azimieh detention center and the Revolutionary court jail in Karaj. The first night in the Azimieh prison I saw that Farhang was also held in one of the smelly pens. I was so happy to see he was alive and well. All through the interrogations, they would hurl insults and slander, and as soon as I said “God forgive us”, the interrogator would tell me to be quiet, that I was not allowed to mention God. Sometimes I would ask the guards nearby if I looked like a criminal or a prostitute. They told me that all Baha’i women were prostitutes.

My interrogator, throughout the interrogations, pressured me to recant my religion to be released. I would never recant my faith. Finally, after two weeks, I was released temporarily. After my release, I learned that when my father had heard the news of my detention, he had gone to my office and asked for their help to obtain my release. And, they had vouched for me, so I was released.

What was the committee for oversight on complaints and torture? Who was in charge of it? Were they responsive?

When the people were fed up and kept complaining about being tortured in prison, finally Mr. Khomeini ordered a commission be formed to look into complaints about torture. Mr. Mohammad Montazeri, the son of Ayatollah Montazeri – who was known as Mohammad Ringo – was in charge of this. He and few legal professionals were assigned to investigate complaints regarding torture. When I met this committee, I could not get over the long line of people from every walk of life, not just Baha’is, waiting to file reports.

When my turn came, I shared my story, told them how my husband had been detained and was in prison. As soon as I mentioned Baha’i, the man told me I should be thankful to God he is still alive and we have not killed him yet. I knew they would not be responsive, but wanted to have tried all options.

This committee was located in the Justice department, which was where I worked. When Farhang was detained I went to see all the judges and attorneys I had worked with to ask for their help. Although I was well liked and had good relationships with my employees, they all said that because we were Baha’is, there was nothing they could do. Everyone advised that I recant my faith. I remember asking them how they could respect someone who lies. Unlike in Islam, in which one is permitted to recant one’s faith, in our faith it is forbidden and we cannot lie. There is a writing of Baha’u’llah that says something to the effect of, ‘it is better to tell the truth and blaspheme, than to proclaim faith and then lie’.

How long did it take from the first raid on your house until Mr. Mavaddat was executed? How did you learn of his execution?

It took about nine months. When Farhang was imprisoned, it took two months for me to be permitted to visit him. In the month of April, coinciding with the Festival of Ridvan, I went to see him. They had taken him out of bed in the middle of the night and tried him. Incidentally, the details of this trial were later published in the Etela’at newspaper, which is included in my book. The last time I visited him, he said they would let us visit in person the next time. And since it was his birthday, the children had sent him a card, which he never received, since there was no next time, except for a visit with his body. I still wonder if he was being sarcastic about the visit “in person”, and if he knew there would be no more visits.

The night that Banisadr had escaped, I was sleeping at my father’s house. It was a stormy and tumultuous night. I was very sick and had nightmares all night. I don’t know, perhaps it was our emotional bond that was alerting me of Farhang’s condition. The next morning, I went to work, sick and tired. My coworkers told me they had heard on the radio that Farhang had been executed. I told them I was relieved, as I worried constantly that Farhang might recant his faith. I worried how he took all that pain and suffering and torture. That night, 100 people were killed, three of which were Baha’is – Farhang Mavaddat, Hashem Farnoush – a member of the assembly and a noble and erudite human being – and Bozorg Alavian one of the distinguished engineers. Of course, the next day four other Baha’is were executed as well.

One of Farhang’s friends, a medical examiner, had once told him: “I am ashamed of myself and my job. Many of the Mojahedin girl prisoners they bring here are raped before execution, because the guards believe they cannot go to heaven otherwise!”

When we received the body of Farhang and Mr. Farnoush from the medical examiner, they were still bleeding. This was the same day that Mostafa Chamran had been killed in the front and the city was in a state of turmoil. Even the assembly had advised the Baha’is to minimize their presence in the city, but many friends could not miss attending beloved ones’ funerals. At that time, we still had our Golestan (cemetery) and it was not yet destroyed. When their bodies were washed, we went to take pictures, and their names were written on their chests, and their charges on their legs! On Farhang’s leg, they had written anti-religion.

Did you eventually get your property back? How did you leave Iran?

Not only did they not return our car, money, gold and books, but after Farhang’s execution, our house was confiscated by the Foundation for the Destitute. After Farhang’s execution, I was officially homeless. I thanked God that we had sent our children abroad before all these troubles. Exactly two months before they started raiding our houses and looting our property, we had sent my daughter abroad. Can you imagine what would have happened to a young girl on her own, if she had been in Iran at the time?

I had to go from house to house with a bag in my hand, and I was very worried that staying with others would cause problems for the hosts. Finally, I decided to leave Iran, but that proved complicated since my passport had been confiscated in the nightly raids on the house. Finally, with the help of a friend in the city police, I was miraculously able to get a passport in two weeks, and after a very perilous and strange trip through Baluchistan, I traveled to Pakistan, then to Europe and eventually I settled in Canada.

What made you decide to write the book Flame of Tests?

I always used to keep notes of events and happenings. Of course, many of these notes were lost, but I was still able to take some of them with me when I left Iran. One of the duties of me and Farhang as members of the assembly was to oversee the needs of the persecuted and needy Baha’is. As a result, we witnessed their problems and issues. After leaving Iran, one of the duties assigned to me was to retell to others the events and hardships befallen on the Baha’is after the Revolution, to keep them apprised of their plight. For this purpose, time and time again, I have given speeches in various gatherings, in the parliaments of different countries, and throughout these years I have had interviews with English language publications, and they have always been so moved and surprised by hearing these accounts, that they have encouraged me to put these memories and observations into a book. But I have been reluctant, lest it would cause problems for the members of my family or friends still in Iran. I was serving the Universal House of Justice in the Baha’i World Center for 18-19 years, working on collecting documentation on 330 martyrs, which resulted in 12 volumes, and when I returned 8-9 years ago, I realized nothing is still confidential, that everything is available online through various websites on the Internet, and my concerns about writing a book are baseless. So, I wrote this book. Since I wanted my grandchildren to read this book, and they don’t know Persian because my sons-in-law and daughter-in-law are not Iranian, I wrote it in English – which was a difficult process. After the book was published in English, I decided to publish the original in Persian which I had written 35 years ago.

Nasrin Almasi holds a BA in Persian literature from the University of Jondishapoor, has contributed to Sayehban, a literary monthly, since 1988 when she arrived in Toronto, and since 1992 has been the Secretary of the Editorial Board of the Shahrvand newspaper.

HRANA News Agency – Five Baha’i citizens were sentenced to one year in jail, each, by Branch 3 of the Revolutionary Court of Mashhad in recent weeks.

According to HRANA (Human Rights Activists’ News Agency in Iran) Branch 3 of the Revolutionary Court of Mashhad, resided by Judge Soltani, sentenced four Baha’i citizens of Mashhad to one-year imprisonment each, on charges of propaganda against the regime. Those sentenced were Dori Amiri, May Kholousi, Saghi Fadaei, and Shayan Tafazoli.Their case has been in motion since 2014.Last month, another Baha’i citizen of Mashhad, Fataneh Nabilzadeh, was sentenced to one year in prison by the same court.

Dori Amiri, May Kholousi, Saghi Fadaei, and Shayan Tafazoli were arrested in June 2014 by Mashhad’s security forces. They were released on bail, and tried in two court hearings, December 14, 2014, and June 17, 2017.Judge Soltani convicted these people for propaganda against the regime and sentenced each one to one-year imprisonment. The verdict was communicated to these citizens in recent days.

The sentences are not definitive and are eligible for review within 20 days.

Reports received by HRANA, Fataneh Nabilzadeh, also a Baha’i citizen in Mashhad, was arrested in August 2014, along with Peyman Sarraf and Diane Teimuri, in her private home in the city. Ms. Nabilzadeh was sentenced by Branch 3 of the Revolutionary Court of Mashhad last month to one year in prison for propaganda against the regime.

Baha’i citizens in Iran are systematical deprived of religious freedoms and civil rights. This systematic exclusion is carried out contrary to Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance.”

According to unofficial sources in Iran, there are more than three hundred thousand Baha’is, but the Iranian constitution recognizes only Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism and does not recognize the Baha’i Faith. For this reason, Baha’is rights in Iran have been systematically violated throughout the past years.

]]>http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18795/five-bahai-citizens-sentenced-revolutionary-court-mashhad/feed/0http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18795/five-bahai-citizens-sentenced-revolutionary-court-mashhad/European Voices Join Global Community to Condemn Persecution of Yemeni Baha’ishttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iranpresswatch/~3/0DQ71dzdwq4/
http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18792/european-voices-join-global-community-condemn-persecution-yemeni-bahais/#commentsTue, 27 Feb 2018 20:12:24 +0000http://iranpresswatch.org/?p=18792Source: news.bahai.org BIC BRUSSELS — Over 100 Members of the European Parliament and national Parliaments throughout Europe have signed a statement calling for the imminent release of all Baha’i prisoners in Yemen, including Hamid bin Haydara, who&hellip

]]>Source: news.bahai.orgThe European Parliament building. Over 100 members of the European Parliament and national Parliaments throughout Europe have signed a statement calling for the release of all Yemeni Baha’i prisoners. (photo accessed via Wikimedia Commons)

BIC BRUSSELS — Over 100 Members of the European Parliament and national Parliaments throughout Europe have signed a statement calling for the imminent release of all Baha’i prisoners in Yemen, including Hamid bin Haydara, who was sentenced to death by public execution earlier this year. The letter is addressed to the Houthi authorities who control Sana’a, the capital city.

Against the backdrop of a recent wave of persecutions directed at the Baha’i community in Sana’a, the 103 signatories of the letter—including from Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom—have joined numerous voices around the world in condemning the actions of the Houthi authorities. Just last month, multiple UN human rights experts issued an appealto the Houthi authorities to quash the sentence against Mr. Haydara. The European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights also addressed this matter in its session in January 2018.

Currently, seven Baha’is are in prison in Sana’a and have been denied basic human rights. Among them, Hamed bin Haydara has been held the longest. Mr. Haydara was sentenced to death by the Specialized Criminal Court in Sana’a, Yemen, on 2 January 2018. He has been in prison since December 2013, when he was arbitrarily arrested at his workplace. Mr. Haydara’s case has been notable for its complete lack of due process. At Mr. Haydara’s recent hearing, the local judge also called for the dissolution of all elected Baha’i institutions, placing the entire Baha’i community in danger.

]]>http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18792/european-voices-join-global-community-condemn-persecution-yemeni-bahais/feed/1http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18792/european-voices-join-global-community-condemn-persecution-yemeni-bahais/Jamaloddin Khanjani Returned to Evin Prison following Heart Surgeryhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iranpresswatch/~3/enolO7VryIA/
http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18815/jamaloddin-khanjani-returned-evin-prison-following-heart-surgery/#respondThu, 22 Feb 2018 20:25:57 +0000http://iranpresswatch.org/?p=18815Source: www.hra-news.org HRANA News Agency – Jamaloddin Khanjani, a member of the leaders of Baha’i community of Iran known as the Yaran, was transferred to hospital for heart problems, and then was returned to Evin Prison&hellip

HRANA News Agency – Jamaloddin Khanjani, a member of the leaders of Baha’i community of Iran known as the Yaran, was transferred to hospital for heart problems, and then was returned to Evin Prison again.

According to the HRANA news agency, the news wing of Human Rights Activists in Iran, Jamaloddin Khanjani was transferred to a hospital per directions of the prison doctor, after experiencing heart issues in prison.Mr. Khanjani underwent surgery, following which, he was transferred back to Evin Prison.

An informed source told HRANA reporter, “A week ago, Mr. Khanjani had heart problems, and a prison doctor diagnosed that his arteries were blocked and should be treated as soon as possible. With the family’s efforts he was sent to a hospital outside of the Evin Prison. The doctors noted that since he is over 85 years old, he should no longer stay in prison, and then consulted on treatment and performed an angiography and repaired the damaged arteries and opened one completely blocked vein. After a few days of staying at the CCU, yesterday, Thursday 22 February, he was taken back to the Evin Prison by the security forces.”

It is worth noting that Mr. Khanjani, who was born in 1933, and suffers from old age and multiple ailments, has been in prison since May 18, 2008.Throughout his 10-year term he has not been allowed a single day of leave.Security and Judicial authorities did not even allow him to attend his wife’s funeral. Previously, in 2014, Mr. Khanjani was also transferred to the hospital for his ongoing health issues. His sentence will be completed on March 22 of this year.

Jamaloddin Khanjani arrested on 24 July 2008, along with the six other Baha’i community leaders known as the Yaran; Saeid Rezaie, Mahvash Shahriari, Fariba Kamalabadi, Afif Naeimi, Behrouz Tavakkoli and Vahid Tizfahm.They were charged with “assembly and collusion against national security”, “propaganda against the regime”, and “espionage” by Branch 28 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court.Judge Mogheiseh handed down sentences of 20 years each, which was announced by The Tehran Security Court, in February 2009.Each of 20-year sentences were later reduced to 10 years.

Saeed Rezaie, Mahvash Shahriari, Fariba Kamalabadi, and Behrouz Tavakkoli have completed their sentences and have been released. Jamaloddin Khanjani and Vahid Tizfahm remain in prison.Afif Naeimi is currently on medical leave.

]]>http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18815/jamaloddin-khanjani-returned-evin-prison-following-heart-surgery/feed/0http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18815/jamaloddin-khanjani-returned-evin-prison-following-heart-surgery/Freed Baha’i Leader: Jailing Baha’is is Futile and Pointlesshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iranpresswatch/~3/Pjr58gfds4M/
http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18780/freed-bahai-leader-jailing-bahais-futile-pointless/#respondSun, 18 Feb 2018 01:57:47 +0000http://iranpresswatch.org/?p=18780Source: www.iranwire.com By AIDA GHAJAR On the morning of Friday, February 16, Saeed Rezaei, one of the seven members of the former leadership group for Iran’s Baha’i community known as the “Yaran” (“Friends”), was released after&hellip

On the morning of Friday, February 16, Saeed Rezaei, one of the seven members of the former leadership group for Iran’s Baha’i community known as the “Yaran” (“Friends”), was released after serving 10 years in prison. In order to avoid Rezaei’s family and friends waiting outside the prison to greet Rezaei, security guards drove him some distance from the prison and released him there.

The seven Baha’i leaders were arrested in early 2008. The most serious charges against them were espionage, propaganda against the regime and founding an illegal organization. The Revolutionary Court initially sentenced them to 20 years in prison, which was reduced to 10 years on appeal.

Saeed Rezaei, 61, is a prominent agricultural engineer and was the CEO of a company of agricultural machinery in Shiraz before his arrest. His release comes just a few days after seven Baha’is were arrested in the Persian Gulf port of Bushehr.

After his arrest in 2008, Rezaei was taken to Evin Prison’s Ward 209, controlled by the Ministry of Intelligence, and spent four months in solitary confinement. He and six other Baha’i leaders spent 27 months in pre-trial detention — in violation of the law that limits detention without sentencing to a short period of time. After standing trial they were transferred to Rajaei Shahr Prison in Karaj near Tehran, and spent six months with ordinary prisoners, until they were moved to Ward 12, where prisoners of conscience and political prisoners are kept.

In an interview with IranWire after being freed, Saeed Rezaei said that his most difficult time in prison was when he was interrogated. During that time he had no access to a lawyer, and was not allowed to talk or meet with his family. The interrogators pressured Baha’i leaders to confess that they were spies. “We strongly denied this accusation,” he said.

Abused Mentally and Physically

During interrogations, the Baha’i leaders were abused both mentally and physically. Prison guards pushed and insulted them, and threatened them repeatedly. Rezaei told IranWire that some of the Baha’i leaders who remain in prison were also flogged. Authorities threatened to arrest Rezaei’s wife and daughters if he refused to cooperate.

Judge Mohammad Moghiseh conducted the trial of the Yaran leadership group. Over the last several years, human rights organizations and the European Union have singled out Moghiseh and other judges for gross human rights violations. The Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi, Abdolfattah Soltani, Mahnaz Parakand and Hadi Esmaeilzadeh were the group’s lawyers. At the trial, they produced a document proving that the Intelligence Ministry had informed the judiciary that the accused were not spies. Shirin Ebadi and Mahnaz Parakand have now left Iran, Abdolfattah Soltani is currently in prison and Hadi Esmaeilzadeh lost his job as a university professor.

“The counter-espionage department of the Intelligence Ministry had issued a letter saying that until we were arrested they had found no evidence that we were spies,” Rezaei told IranWire. “It was the Intelligence Ministry that said this. At the trial Mr. Soltani told Judge Moghiseh: ‘you must be impartial in judgment between the indictment by the prosecutor and the defense by the lawyers but, practically, you are even ahead of the prosecution.”

In addition to the defense presented by the lawyers, the Baha’i leaders had prepared their own statement that they hoped to enter into court proceedings. “The judge would not even allow us to read this statement of defense and constantly interrupted us,” said Rezaei. “It took more than two hours to read something that could have been read in a quarter of an hour. They held three court sessions. They had said that the trial would be open to the public, but they would not allow our families in, who were at the door. We said that either they must hold a public hearing or that they must announce that it was a closed-door trial. The lawyers refused to offer defense. We left the court three times until, at last, they held [the trial in] an open court at the fourth session and allowed our families in. They brought in a camera that apparently belonged to the Intelligence Ministry and the judiciary and they recorded the whole thing.”

During his 10 years in prison, in addition to the harassment he faced, Saeed Rezaee experienced physical problems. He says that 95 percent of his physical suffering started during his incarceration, including heart and knee problems. In 10 years he was not granted any leave of absence, as is customary for Iranian prisoners serving long sentences — not even for one day. He had requested a medical furlough but the authorities and prison officials rejected his request, even though the Legal Medical Organization and specialist doctors had agreed that he needed arthroscopic knee surgery that required three months of recovery in the hospital.

“The prison provides ordinary medical services like general practitioners,” said Rezaei, “or a couple of specialists might pay a visit. But the prison lacks facilities like MRIs or radiology [equipment].” A few times he was sent under guard to the hospital for an angiography. About seven months ago, he required another angiography, but the prison officials told him that he could only go to the hospital if he went in prison uniform. He refused and as a result, his blood vessels went unchecked.

Co-existence and Respect in prison

Now, after 10 years in prison, Rezaei says his best and lasting memories are about the “co-existence” of different beliefs and thoughts he had access to while he was incarcerated. “Both ordinary and political prisoners looked at us as their compatriots,” he told IranWire. “After spending some time together, a peaceful co-existence among us emerged. Even if some [prisoners] were cold toward us for a few weeks, a friendship developed after we lived together. Their respect for us was very pleasant. In prison, we achieved co-existence with political prisoners who thought differently from us, and this was an extraordinary experience for both sides. Now we have no doubt that if Iranian people were free and if their minds were not poisoned against each other, they could live together. Our experience [in prison] can be realized across the whole of Iran.”

Like other prisoners, Saeed Rezaei received news about what was happening in Iran, and especially about the Baha’is, through his weekly meetings with his family. They told him about the continued ban on Baha’is from attending institutions of higher education, about closures of their businesses and about the arrests of Baha’is across Iran. He says that despite these injustices still taking place in Iran, “it is encouraging and morale-boosting that the civil and media activists cover this news and in many cases defend the civil rights that we have been denied. In prison this coverage made us happy. Don’t believe that covering this news is futile.”

In his last moments of incarceration, Rezaei’s conversation with his fellow inmates concerned the futility of the regime’s treatment of the Baha’is. “’What was the use of this 10 years in prison?’ they asked me. ‘Have you given up your beliefs?’ I answered that I had not. An inmate friend said: ‘This imprisonment did nobody any good, neither you nor them.’ This is a truth that the rulers of the country will realize sooner or later. I have no idea when, but we have to stay in Iran until the misunderstandings are resolved.”

]]>http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18780/freed-bahai-leader-jailing-bahais-futile-pointless/feed/0http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18780/freed-bahai-leader-jailing-bahais-futile-pointless/Fourth Member of Yaran Releasedhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iranpresswatch/~3/NIX8MdyDVCg/
http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18776/fourth-member-yaran-released/#respondFri, 16 Feb 2018 12:57:59 +0000http://iranpresswatch.org/?p=18776Source: news.bahai.org BIC NEW YORK — After ten years of unjust imprisonment for his beliefs, Saeid Rezaie, one of the seven members of the former leadership group of the Baha’is in Iran, has today completed his wrongful&hellip

BIC NEW YORK — After ten years of unjust imprisonment for his beliefs, Saeid Rezaie, one of the seven members of the former leadership group of the Baha’is in Iran, has today completed his wrongful sentence.

Saeid Rezaei completed an unjust 10-year prison sentence today.

Mr. Rezaie and six of his colleagues were arrested in 2008 after an early-morning raid on their homes. They were part of the ad hoc group known as “the Yaran” (the Friends) which tended to the basic spiritual and material needs of the Iranian Baha’i community. The group was formed with the knowledge and tacit approval of authorities after formal Baha’i institutions were declared illegal in Iran in the 1980s. Mr. Rezaie is the fourth individual from among the former Yaran to be released.

Now, after ten years, he returns to a society that has changed little in terms of its treatment of the Baha’i community.

“Although Mr. Rezaie and three other members of the Yaran have been released, the persecution of the Baha’is in Iran continues unabated,” said Diane Ala’i, Representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva. “From prison, Mr. Rezaie will go back to a community that is still under immense pressure from the government and faces discrimination and persecution for no other reason than belief in the Baha’i Faith.”

Before he was imprisoned, Mr. Rezaie, who is an agricultural engineer, ran a successful farming equipment business. He is one of the many members of the Baha’i community who has suffered injustice as a result of economic-related persecution. Baha’i-owned shops and businesses are regularly closed by the authorities after owners are harassed. In the last few years, hundreds of such businesses have been closed and scores of families have been deprived of an income. In an open letter to President Hassan Rouhani, the BIC referred to this discrimination as “economic apartheid.”

The three remaining members of the Yaran are expected to complete their sentences in the coming months. They include Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, 84; Mr. Afif Naeimi, 56; and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm, 44.

Friends and family greet Saeid Rezaie after he was released from prison following an unjust 10-year sentence.

HRANA News Agency – This morning, At least seven individuals were detained during a coordinated security forces raids to homes and workplaces of several Bahá’i citizens in Bushehr.

According to the HRANA News Agency, the human rights activists’ news agency in Iran, on the morning of February 13, 2017, around 7:30 a.m., security forces performing a coordinated operation arrested at least seven Baha’i citizens in Bushehr province and transferred them to an unknown location.

Most of the arrests occurred out as security forces performed full house searches, confiscating personal belongings such as laptops, books, flash drives, external hard drives, and family.

It is said that Mr. Asadollah Jaberi and his wife, Mrs. Ehteram Shakhi were detained at their place of work.

No information is available on the reasons for the arrests or what charges have resulted. No information had been provided by the detaining organization at the time of this report.

Baha’i citizens in Iran are deprived of religious freedoms, and exluded from higher education and many forms of employment. This systematic persecution is carried out in direct violation of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which states, “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance.”

According to unofficial sources in Iran, there are more than three hundred thousand Baha’is, but the Iranian constitution recognizes only Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism and does not recognize the Baha’i Faith. The Regime uses this to justify the systematic and ongoing violation of Baha’is rights in Iran.

]]>http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18773/least-7-bahai-citizens-arrested-bushehr/feed/1http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18773/least-7-bahai-citizens-arrested-bushehr/Champion of Justice Asma Jahangir Leaves Legacy of Couragehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iranpresswatch/~3/e0AD1uRELJI/
http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18770/champion-justice-asma-jahangir-leaves-legacy-courage/#respondWed, 14 Feb 2018 23:27:36 +0000http://iranpresswatch.org/?p=18770Source: news.bahai.org BIC GENEVA — The Baha’i International Community has expressed its condolences for the passing of Asma Jahangir, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran and greatly-admired champion of the dignity&hellip

]]>Source: news.bahai.orgAsma Jahangir was highly regarded for her longstanding dedication to human rights during her life. She passed away at age 66 on Sunday.

BIC GENEVA — The Baha’i International Community has expressed its condolences for the passing of Asma Jahangir, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran and greatly-admired champion of the dignity and rights of all people. She passed away at the age of 66 in Lahore, Pakistan, on Sunday 11 February.

Mrs. Jahangir was highly regarded for her longstanding dedication to human rights and women’s rights throughout her life. She served as Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions from 1998 to 2004. Following this, she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005, during her time as the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief from 2004 to 2010. She was the first female leader of Pakistan’s Supreme Court bar association.

“Asma Jahangir was a staunch defender of the rights of the Baha’is in Iran from the time that she was Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief,” said Diane Ala’i, Representative of the BIC United Nations Office in Geneva.

“It was she who courageously brought to light the 29 October 2005 letter signed by the Chairman of Command Headquarters of the Iranian Armed Forces that ominously asked that Baha’is be identified and monitored,” Ms. Ala’i said.

“With her passing, humanity has lost a true champion of justice.”

Following her death, heartfelt tributes to her life have been expressed by people from around the world.

HRANA- This afternoon, Elham Farahani, an Iranian Baha’i who was sentenced to 4-year prison terms in Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court presided by Judge Moghiseh, was released after serving her term.

According to HRANA- The Human Rights Activists News Agency in Iran- Elham Farahani was released on the afternoon of February 11th after serving 4 years in Evin Prison.

In 2012, Elham Farhani, born in 1962, was arrested in her home along with her husband, Adel Naeimi, by the security forces associated with the Ministry of Intelligence. Less than ten days later their son, Shamim Naeimi, was also arrested and sent to the solitary confinement of Ward 209 of Evin Prison.

After two months, Ms. Farahani and Shamim were released temporarily on $20,000.00 bail; however, her husband, Adel Naeimi, was transferred to Rajaee Prison in Karaj.

Later, Elham, Adel and Shamim were summoned to a “5-minute” summary hearing at Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran with presiding judge, Moghiseh, at which they were sentenced to four-year, ten-year and three-year prison terms, respectively.

This Baha’i family, as with many other Baha’is, were falsely charged with “propagating against the regime, being members of an illegal organization, and, congregating and colluding to disrupt the national security”.

On Sunday May 11th, 2014, Ms. Farahani and Shamim began serving their prison terms. Ms. Farahani was sent to the women’s ward of Evin Prison. Shamim joined his father in Rajaee Prison in Karaj. Shamim is married and has two children aged 9 and 3 years old.

A source reported, “On the morning of Saturday May 10th, security agents showed up at Shamim’s home to arrest him and decided to come back the following day since he wasn’t home. On Sunday morning, as Shamim was getting ready to go to authorities, they showed up again and took him. Hours later, few relatives followed him to Evin Prison doors to bade him farewell. An agent approached them there and claimed that Shamim wanted to say goodbye to her mom, Ms. Farahani. So, the message was conveyed to her with a phone call and when she rushed to see him, the agent arrested her on the spot and sent her to jail to serve her term”, said one of the close relatives of the Naeimi family.

It is worthy of note that Elham Farahani suffers from severe arthritis in her arms and neck. In her recent physical test, she has been diagnosed with possibility of having an acute spinal disc herniation. Nonetheless, the judicial authorities and (warden of) Evin Prison denied her access to see any specialist nor to seek treatment outside the prison walls.

]]>http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18789/bahai-prisoner-released-evin-upon-completion-4-year-sentence/feed/0http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18789/bahai-prisoner-released-evin-upon-completion-4-year-sentence/Baha’i Citizen of Yazd Released from Prison upon Completion of Sentencehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iranpresswatch/~3/unbhz__RiPk/
http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18764/iman-rashidi-bahai-citizen-yazd-released-prison/#respondSun, 11 Feb 2018 18:30:22 +0000http://iranpresswatch.org/?p=18764Source: www.hra-news.org Translation by Iran Press Watch HRANA News Agency – Iman Rashidi, a Baha’i citizen living in Yazd, who was sentenced to three years imprisonment and one year suspended imprisonment as one of the 20&hellip

HRANA News Agency – Iman Rashidi, a Baha’i citizen living in Yazd, who was sentenced to three years imprisonment and one year suspended imprisonment as one of the 20 Baha’i citizens in a joint case with the Yazd Revolutionary Court, was released today on termination of his term of office.

According to a report from the HRANA News Agency, the Human Rights activists’ news agency in Iran, Mr. Rashidi, was released from prison upon the completion of a three-year prison sentence.

Despite the fact that Mr. Rashidi could have made use of conditional release, he was not provided that option for reasons unknown.

Mr. Rashidi was sentenced to during a mass trial in the well-known case of “20 Baha’i Citizens“. All were charged with “propaganda against the regime” and “gathering and collusion against the internal security of the country”.

Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Yazd condemned all 20 these Baha’i citizens to a combined total of 58 years in prison, 38 years of which is punishable.

The verdict was confirmed on appeal on April 27, 1993, at the Appeal Branch of Yazd province. Mr. Rashidi and most of the other 20 defendants were imprisoned immediately.

Baha’i citizens in Iran are denied religions freedom. Under Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, everyone has the right to freedom of religion and changing of religion or belief, as well as the freedom to express them individually or collectively, openly or in secret. Despite this, Baha’is are subjected systematic exclusion from many forms of employment, higher education, as well as many other civil rights.

According to unofficial sources in Iran, there are more than three hundred thousand Baha’is. However, the Iranian constitution recognizes only Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism and refuses recognize the Baha’i Faith. For this reason, Baha’is’ rights in Iran have been systematically violated throughout the past years.

]]>http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18764/iman-rashidi-bahai-citizen-yazd-released-prison/feed/0http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18764/iman-rashidi-bahai-citizen-yazd-released-prison/Leading Lawyers Take Iran to Taskhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/iranpresswatch/~3/AMIT4L14EoM/
http://iranpresswatch.org/post/18748/leading-lawyers-take-iran-task/#respondSat, 10 Feb 2018 16:51:42 +0000http://iranpresswatch.org/?p=18748Source: news.bahai.org BIC GENEVA — In an open letter released yesterday, 25 prominent intellectuals and experts in human rights law called on Mohammad Javad Larijani, Head of the High Council for Human Rights in Iran, to acknowledge&hellip

]]>Source: news.bahai.orgThe Archives of Baha’i Persecution in Iran website was launched on 18 January 2018. The website compiles thousands of official documents, reports, testimonials, and audio-visual materials revealing irrefutable proof of relentless persecution. It was created in response to rising interest within and outside Iran to understand the depth and breadth of the persecution of Iran’s Baha’is.

BIC GENEVA — In an open letter released yesterday, 25 prominent intellectuals and experts in human rights law called on Mohammad Javad Larijani, Head of the High Council for Human Rights in Iran, to acknowledge the long-standing state-sponsored persecution of Baha’is in Iran in light of newly-released and abundant evidence. Publication of the letter was first reported earlier today by British newspaper The Times.

The letter follows the recent launch of the Archives of Baha’i Persecution in Iran website, which compiles thousands of official documents, reports, testimonials, and audio-visual materials revealing irrefutable proof of relentless persecution. The new site was created in response to rising interest within and outside Iran to understand the depth and breadth of the persecution of Iran’s Baha’is.

Mr. Larijani has in the past brazenly denied that Baha’is are persecuted in Iran. The signed letter released today cites, as an example, Mr. Larijani’s false statement in October 2014 at Iran’s Universal Periodic Review at the UN, during which he claimed that Iranian Baha’is “are dealt with under the so-called citizenship contract” and “enjoy all the privileges of any citizen of Iran.”

“The records found on the new website, however, present a different story,” states the letter. Drawing on the body of evidence on the site, the signatories call on Mr. Larijani to “ensure justice, to examine the website, and reconsider…previous statements.”

The information available on the archival website covers a wide range of violations by Iranian authorities, documenting systematic discrimination, arrest and imprisonment, execution, economic oppression, denial of education, acts of destruction and violence, and incitement to hatred.

“[H]ow can the prevention of thousands of young people from access to university be considered fair?”

– Open letter signed by 25 experts in human rights law

The letter reminds Mr. Larijani that the Iranian Constitution requires the government and Muslims “to treat the non-Muslim individuals with good conduct, in fairness and Islamic justice, and must respect their human rights.” It pointedly asks, “[H]ow can the prevention of thousands of young people from access to university be considered fair? How can Islamic justice be upheld when efforts are made to exclude an entire community from participating in the economic life of their own country?”

“Such a diverse array of prominent individuals interceding on behalf of the Baha’is in Iran is deeply moving,” commented Diane Ala’i, representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva. “We hope others will peruse the contents of this new website and respectfully raise their voices so that the Iranian authorities may give due consideration to the requirements of justice and truthfulness and take appreciable steps to bring the longstanding, systematic persecution of the Baha’is in Iran to an end.”

The open letter’s co-authors come from Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Further information can be found at www.bic.org.

An official letter from the General Office of the Department of Education in Tehran to a junior high school student which states that she “was a very well-behaved student”, but that she was being expelled “in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic as she is a follower of the Baha’i sect.”A letter from the General Affairs Educational Office of the University of Isfahan to a student states that, as she is “a follower of the Baha’i sect”, she is “not permitted to pursue [her] studies.”A letter from the Court of Administrative Justice to a person with disabilities informs him that he has been “dismissed from his job due to his membership in the Baha’i sect”, that his pension benefits have been stopped, and that his further complaints to the court are “deemed invalid and rejected.”

A letter from the Ministry of Education to one of its employees states that she is “dismissed from service in the [Ministry] of Education” and is “ordered to return all salaries received” as she is “affiliated with the illegal Baha’i sect.”A court verdict from the government’s Department of Justice regarding the murder of a Baha’i man which states that, “as the victim was a Baha’i at the time of accident… and the fact that the provision of blood money [diyeh] is only legally applicable to Muslims,” the accused is acquitted of charges.